This invention relates to apparatus that may be used to feed particles from a particle container to an outlet conduit for discharge from the container. The gas operated particle feed apparatus may be used to feed particles such as, spherical ammunition like B.B. or pellets, rubber bullets and other nonlethal ammunition, from a gas pressurized magazine to be discharged through the barrel of a gun. The feed apparatus may also be used to feed other particle like material, such as, corn and other particle like foods, gravel, medicine in tablet or pill form, and other particulate matter that may be compatible with the apparatus operational structure. For disclosure purposes, the gas powered particle feed apparatus may be described relative to operation of a weapon or gun that may be used as a nonlethal weapon as for example in riot control situations.
Various nonlethal weapons devices that may use gas or air pressure to propel projectiles such as rubber bullets, baton rounds, bean bags and the like have been variously used. Also, weapons that propel marking agents such as paint balls, tear gas, calmatives, maleodorants, flash-bang ordinance, pepper spray and the like may exist and be used for crowd or riot control. Many of these devices may be gas pressure operated, but may not allow for rapid fire of particles or other discharge agents. Other devices may be designed for rapid fire of particles or projectiles such as spherical ammunition, rubber bullets and the like, but the feed mechanism for such weapons may be constrained by complicated magazine loading mechanisms or methods and the feeding of the particles into a barrel of a gun may be susceptible to jamming due to bridging or interference between particles attempting to enter an opening or conduit for discharge through a barrel conduit or barrel.